A critical reflective review is a written review of a stage of personal and/or professional development usually through analysis and evaluation of a process or project undertaken and considering professional and/or creative contexts. It is used to explore personal and professional development in light of theoretical perspectives and creative contexts. It shows that you can select and analyse key experiences and/or resources, connect appropriately with theory and explicitly show learning and creative development.
Always check your brief for instructions.
For a stand-alone piece of writing (and when part of a substantial report), create an introduction with outline of writing structure and guiding concepts. Conclude with a summary and link to guiding concept. The guiding concept is a bit like argument – it is the idea which links everything together, e.g. through this project ‘I have developed this understanding* of my development as a practitioner’.
*insert here your understanding.
| Style | concise, precise, appropriate technical language. More ‘personal’ than other academic writing but not a diary or confessional. It can be tricky to switch from writing about other people’s work (creative context) and then try to take a critical objective view of your own. |
| Sources used: | Your own journals and notes, your own creative work, academic sources, practitioner’s work (via websites, performances, exhibitions etc) |
| Person | First person (I or we) and third person |
| Use | Word (or Pages but Word preferable). |
| Referenced? | Yes |
| Images? | Usually as this is usually a review of creative practice – images should be relevant and clearly labelled and, when not own work, clearly referenced. |
| Not to be confused with | Reflective report – there is some overlap but critical reflective review invites more professional perspective on creative work in context. |
Tip: Include things that did not go to plan– this is where the best learning happens.
